Summary

In this project, we want to make the first step towards the design of control mechanisms to realize homeostatic self-regulating behavior into self-assembling systems and first materials so as to be able to engineer resilience against defects. To this end, we will design dormant self-regulatory mechanisms in material systems that become activated by an external trigger, whereby the external trigger changes a system/destroys a function, and the dormant self-regulation mechanisms allow for a return to the initial system. We focus on precise chemical defects and precise chemical self-regulation mechanisms, applied to systems based on peptide self-assemblies, polymer hydrogels, and DNA-based systems. Our external triggers will focus exclusively on light-based photo-oxidative and photo-reductive triggers enabling the release of chemicals that act on the system (photo-redox agents, photo-protected reducing agents). Our internal control systems will be based on counteracting dormant redox systems and enzymatic reaction networks that can counterbalance and repair these defects.